Abrons Arts Center Experimental Theater 466 Grand Street New York Ny 10002
- November vii – November 09, 2019
- Thursday – Saturday
- seven:00 am – 10:02 pm
-
Add to Calendar Thursday Saturday America/Los_Angeles Performa Biennial '19: Sènsa past Paul Maheke and Nkisi at Abrons Art Heart
Performa is pleased to present Sènsa , a new alive functioning past artists Paul Maheke and Nkisi, co-deputed with Abrons Arts Centre and Red Bull Arts for the Performa 19 Biennial. Through audio, light, and movement, Sènsa brings to the fore diasporic geographies, displacement of knowledge, and questions of visibility and invisibility of the black body in public space.
Nov seven-9, 7pm
Abrons Art Center
466 Grand St, New York, NY 10002Tickets Hither
Through a varied and ofttimes collaborative torso of work encompassing installation, video, and performance, London-based French artist of Congolese descent Paul Maheke considers the body as an annal and examines how memory and identity are formed. Congo-built-in, Kingdom of belgium-raised Nkisi is a founding member of Not Worldwide, a combination of experimental record characterization, radical art project and cantankerous-continental network focusing on the African diaspora. Melding 1990s hardcore techno with syncopated Congolese pulsate compositions, Nkisi's unique, and particularly vehement style of music, draws on her personal trajectory and explores questions of identity and migration through audio.
Maheke and Nkisi'south new alive performance, Sènsa , is informed by Dr. Kimbwandènde Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau'south 1991 seminal book African Cosmology of the Bantu-Kongo: Principles of Life and Living. Hither, the cosmology of the Bantu-Kongo serves every bit a point of entry for the work and grounds the performance in a diasporic imaginary; one that is "in-between." A blurring of the field of vision is at the heart of Sènsa, a Bantu word that translates every bit "coming to visibility," "to announced from far away," "to reveal itself."
The functioning plays with motifs of presence and withdrawal, oscillating between visibility and erasure thanks to a lighting system conceived by Berlin-based artist Ariel Efraim Ashbel. To confuse the senses further, Nkisi's music alternates between atmospheric waves and forceful musical spasms to create a disorienting sonic environment generated and treated live by sound captors installed on the theater's walls and flooring. Ghostly shadows appearing and disappearing, concise repetitive gestures, mumbled words akin to spells being cast, and echoes of the building'south vibrations serve as strategies to build an intoxicating performance.
CREDITS
Sènsa is co-commissioned and co-presented by Performa, Abrons Arts Middle and Red Balderdash Arts New York. Co-curated past Charles Aubin (Performa) and Ali Rosa-Salas (Abrons Arts Center), Sènsa is supported by the Performa Commissioning Fund, Arts Council England, FUSED (French U.S. Exchange in Dance), and the Flemish Minister for Civilisation. This project has been selected and supported past the patronage committee for the arts of Fondation des Artistes. With additional help from ICA London. A first iteration was adult in collaboration with Block Universe, London.
Sénsa builds upon the spectral video and sound installationLevant (2018), a collaborative work by Paul Maheke, Nkisi and performer Ligia Lewis, which will exist presented at Goethe-Institut Curatorial Residencies Ludlow 38 (opening on November xiii, 2019).
BIOGRAPHIES
Paul Maheke (b. 1985) graduated from Cergy School of Fine Arts and is an Open up School East (London) alum. Recent solo exhibitions include "A fire circumvolve for a public hearing" at the Chisenhale gallery in London (2018) and Vleeshal Middelburg (2019), and "I Lost Rails of the Swarm" at the South London Gallery (2016). Selected group exhibitions include "Le center ne peut tenir" at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris (2018), "10 Days 6 Nights" at Tate Modern in London (2017), and the Diaspora Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale (2017).
Melika Ngombe Kolongo, AKA Nkisi, is a headliner on the European experimental music circuit. Born in Kinshasa in 1985, Nkisi grew upwards in Kingdom of belgium and studied at Narafi Arts Schools in Brussels and Birkbeck University in London. Over the years, Nkisi has championed exploring music and audio within a decolonial context. A contempo example is Nkisi's dark of concerts and DJ sets titled "Same Same Dark Ii" that she organized at Kunstencentrum Vooruit in Gent as function of the art center'south plan "Same Same but Different," a festival that examined Belgium's history and its contemporary inscription within a global postcolonial network. Nkisi'south debut EP, Kill (2017) received critical acclaim from Pitchfork, Tiny Mixtapes, and FACT. Her latest solo anthology, 7 Directions, was released in January 2019.
ABOUT PERFORMA
Founded in 2004 by fine art historian and curator RoseLee Goldberg, Performa is the leading non-profit system defended to exploring the critical role of live operation in the history of twentieth-century art and encouraging new directions in performance for the xx-first century. Taking place over a period of three weeks, from November one–24, 2019, at locations throughout New York City, eighth edition of the Performa Biennial one time again celebrates the extraordinary vitality, inventiveness and significance of New York as a leading global performance capital of the world. In commemoration of the 100th ceremony of the Bauhaus, the influence of the schoolhouse and the radical concept of its curriculum, which holds performance at its core, appears in several Commissions. The Bauhaus is as well the focus of the Performa Institute programming, daily events, and talks at the Performa 19 Hub – a pop-up space in Manhattan that becomes the epicenter of the 3-calendar week programme.
ABOUT ABRONS Fine art CENTER
Abrons Arts Centre is a dwelling house for contemporary interdisciplinary arts in Manhattan'south Lower Due east Side neighborhood. A core plan of the Henry Street Settlement, Abrons believes that access to the arts is essential to a free and healthy society. Through functioning presentations, exhibitions, education programs and residencies, Abrons mobilizes communities with the transformative power of art.
Performa is pleased to present Sènsa , a new live performance past artists Paul Maheke and Nkisi, co-commissioned with Abrons Arts Centre and Red Balderdash Arts for the Performa 19 Biennial. Through audio, calorie-free, and movement, Sènsa brings to the fore diasporic geographies, displacement of knowledge, and questions of visibility and invisibility of the black body in public infinite.
November 7-nine, 7pm
Abrons Fine art Center
466 Thou St, New York, NY 10002
Tickets Here
Through a varied and often collaborative body of piece of work encompassing installation, video, and performance, London-based French artist of Congolese descent Paul Maheke considers the torso as an archive and examines how retentivity and identity are formed. Congo-built-in, Kingdom of belgium-raised Nkisi is a founding fellow member of NON Worldwide, a combination of experimental record label, radical fine art project and cantankerous-continental network focusing on the African diaspora. Melding 1990s hardcore techno with syncopated Congolese drum compositions, Nkisi's unique, and particularly fierce style of music, draws on her personal trajectory and explores questions of identity and migration through audio.
Maheke and Nkisi's new live performance, Sènsa , is informed by Dr. Kimbwandènde Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau'due south 1991 seminal book African Cosmology of the Bantu-Kongo: Principles of Life and Living. Here, the cosmology of the Bantu-Kongo serves every bit a point of entry for the piece of work and grounds the performance in a diasporic imaginary; one that is "in-between." A blurring of the field of vision is at the center of Sènsa, a Bantu word that translates every bit "coming to visibility," "to appear from far away," "to reveal itself."
The performance plays with motifs of presence and withdrawal, aquiver betwixt visibility and erasure thanks to a lighting arrangement conceived past Berlin-based artist Ariel Efraim Ashbel. To confuse the senses further, Nkisi's music alternates between atmospheric waves and forceful musical spasms to create a disorienting sonic environment generated and treated live by sound captors installed on the theater'southward walls and floor. Ghostly shadows appearing and disappearing, concise repetitive gestures, mumbled words akin to spells being cast, and echoes of the building'due south vibrations serve as strategies to build an intoxicating performance.
CREDITS
Sènsa is co-commissioned and co-presented past Performa, Abrons Arts Center and Red Bull Arts New York. Co-curated by Charles Aubin (Performa) and Ali Rosa-Salas (Abrons Arts Middle), Sènsa is supported by the Performa Commissioning Fund, Arts Council England, FUSED (French U.S. Exchange in Dance), and the Flemish Government minister for Civilisation. This project has been selected and supported by the patronage committee for the arts of Fondation des Artistes. With additional assist from ICA London. A outset iteration was developed in collaboration with Block Universe, London.
Sénsa builds upon the spectral video and sound installationLevant (2018), a collaborative work by Paul Maheke, Nkisi and performer Ligia Lewis, which will be presented at Goethe-Institut Curatorial Residencies Ludlow 38 (opening on November thirteen, 2019).
BIOGRAPHIES
Paul Maheke (b. 1985) graduated from Cergy Schoolhouse of Fine Arts and is an Open up School E (London) alum. Recent solo exhibitions include "A fire circumvolve for a public hearing" at the Chisenhale gallery in London (2018) and Vleeshal Middelburg (2019), and "I Lost Track of the Swarm" at the South London Gallery (2016). Selected group exhibitions include "Le centre ne peut tenir" at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris (2018), "X Days Six Nights" at Tate Modern in London (2017), and the Diaspora Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale (2017).
Melika Ngombe Kolongo, AKA Nkisi, is a headliner on the European experimental music circuit. Born in Kinshasa in 1985, Nkisi grew upwards in Belgium and studied at Narafi Arts Schools in Brussels and Birkbeck Academy in London. Over the years, Nkisi has championed exploring music and audio within a decolonial context. A contempo instance is Nkisi's nighttime of concerts and DJ sets titled "Aforementioned Same Night II" that she organized at Kunstencentrum Vooruit in Gent equally office of the art center's programme "Same Same just Different," a festival that examined Belgium'south history and its gimmicky inscription within a global postcolonial network. Nkisi'south debut EP, Impale (2017) received critical acclamation from Pitchfork, Tiny Mixtapes, and FACT. Her latest solo anthology, 7 Directions, was released in Jan 2019.
ABOUT PERFORMA
Founded in 2004 by art historian and curator RoseLee Goldberg, Performa is the leading not-profit organization dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of twentieth-century fine art and encouraging new directions in operation for the twenty-commencement century. Taking identify over a menstruation of iii weeks, from November 1–24, 2019, at locations throughout New York City, eighth edition of the Performa Biennial in one case again celebrates the boggling vitality, creativity and significance of New York equally a leading global operation capital of the globe. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, the influence of the school and the radical concept of its curriculum, which holds functioning at its core, appears in several Commissions. The Bauhaus is likewise the focus of the Performa Institute programming, daily events, and talks at the Performa 19 Hub – a pop-upward infinite in Manhattan that becomes the epicenter of the three-week programme.
ABOUT ABRONS Art Center
Abrons Arts Center is a home for contemporary interdisciplinary arts in Manhattan's Lower Due east Side neighborhood. A cadre program of the Henry Street Settlement, Abrons believes that admission to the arts is essential to a gratis and healthy society. Through performance presentations, exhibitions, education programs and residencies, Abrons mobilizes communities with the transformative power of art.
Source: https://www.redbullarts.com/newyork/exhibition/performa-biennial-19-sensa-by-paul-maheke-and-nkisi-at-abrons-art-center/